Eat Clean, Train Hard, Test Often

Motivation: it's something we all have. Do we all use it to the best of our abilities?

Surrounding myself with motivational imagery, articles and people has been such a source or positive energy for me to stay healthy and in check with my diabetes. I am trying to motivate and relate to others that it is not impossible to take control of your health and turn things around, no matter what the circumstance is.

So many times I would throw my hands in the air and say "I'm sick. I have an incurable disease. I am going to die from this, so why not eat that Italian sub, smoke my Camel cigarettes and

drink 10 beers." These choices made me embarrassed to test my blood sugar because I knew that what would be looking back at me would make me feel guilty, ashamed and just snowball into continuing down this road of self harm.

A lot of the times, our test kits can feel like a mirror; it's reflecting how well we are doing on the inside - not emotionally, but physically pointing out how well you are doing when it comes to your diabetes. 478 does NOT feel good. Think about your last blood sugar reading that scared you and made you feel as though giving up was the only option. What did you do or have you done about it?

In my case, one day I was tired of feeling ashamed and embarrassed and making up excuses for my poor control. I wanted to create a journey where other diabetics and people struggling with other health issues could watch me attempt to get healthy and fit (as close to normal as possible) and inspire them to stop feeling down about their situations and turning their negatives into positives; the mirror looking back at you doesn't have to be scary. You don't have to be afraid to look. I now test 10 times/day to make sure I am where I need to be. If it's a little high, I don't feel as bad because I am putting in my effort, 210%. My blood sugar isn't high from beer or take out, it's just because sometimes, diabetes is uncontrollable but for the most part, we have the power to take control and lead happy, healthy lives without complicating an already complicated journey. :)

Eat clean, train hard, test often. Don't be afraid of the number staring back at you.